


Guess Who

by SailorChibi



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Identity Reveal, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Aged-Up Character(s), Choose Your Own Adventure, Choose Your Own Ending, Crack, Gen, Halloween, Identity Reveal, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal, Murder Mystery, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, POV Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Secret Identity Reveal, This is pure crack, and is in no way meant to be taken seriously, miraculous halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 13,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorChibi/pseuds/SailorChibi
Summary: Marinette thought a Halloween party with her friends would be fun. That was before someone died. In this choose your own ending story, can you help Marinette make it to the end alive? Reader beware... you’re in for a scare!
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 100
Kudos: 167





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The world kind of sucks lately so I decided to do something fun for the fandom for Halloween. This is based off those old Goosebumps "Choose Your Ending" stories. Basically, at the end of each chapter, you'll have three options. If you choose right the whole way through, Marinette gets out alive. Choose wrong... and reader beware! There does mean that there is some character death, which I chose not to tag for because this is all in the spirit of fun.
> 
> This is in _no way_ meant to be taken seriously. It is 100% crack. Any comments that the characters should've called the police, or that the characters are OOC, or really any complaints in particular will be either met with intense amounts of sarcasm and/or will be deleted entirely. Keep your negativity and criticism out of here folks; we're just here to have a good time.

Marinette had regrets.

She stared down at the drink in her hand and tried to ignore the way that Lila was flirting with Adrien. It couldn’t have been more blatant: Lila was practically shoving her boobs into Adrien’s face. Adrien was visibly uncomfortable, but he wasn’t doing anything to move away from those boobs either.

“Okay, stop emoting bad vibes. You’re killing the party,,” Alya said, dropping down onto the couch beside Marinette. “What’s your problem?”

“Nothing,” Marinette said with a heavy sigh. Alya would just get mad if Marinette brought up Lila and Adrien.

“It must be something. I had to twist your arm to get you to come tonight,” Alya said.

“I’m just tired,” Marinette replied, which wasn’t exactly a lie. She took a gulp of her drink. It was sticky sweet, which hid the alcohol nicely. Alya had asked her sister to pick them up some liquor; she refused to admit what she’d done to get Nora to do it, but Marinette wasn’t complaining. Anything that helped take the edge off watching Lila playfully flick her hair in Adrien’s direction.

“It has been a long week, but that’s why we’re here. It’s Halloween, baby!” Alya thrust her drink into the air. “Time to party!”

Marinette smiled. “And yet some of us aren’t wearing Halloween colors,” she said lightly. Almost everyone was wearing clothing in shades of black and orange, except for Alya. She was wearing a brown and purple dress. It was funny, because Alya had tons of orange clothing.

Alya stared down at herself like she’d forgotten what she was wearing. “Oh yeah. I had the perfect thing all lined up and then Ella and Etta spilled juice on me at supper,” she said with a low growl. “My mom washed it for me before they went out, but I had to let it dry. I should go see if it’s done.”

“Or you could put on something else,” Marinette pointed out.

“But I had the _perfect thing_ ,” Alya whined. “I swear, it’s like those two have a second sense for when I’m wearing something really important.”

“Yeah, they really do,” Marinette said. This wasn’t the first time that had happened. It made her really glad that she didn’t have to put up with younger siblings. Based on what she heard from Alya and Nino, it sure didn’t sound like they were worth it – and she put with quite a lot from Manon as it was.

“Do you think everyone is having fun?” Alya asked. The sudden change of topic made Marinette blink, but then she followed Alya’s gaze.

Not everyone in the class had shown up tonight. Some people had had other plans by the time Alya decided to have her party. They had ended up with Alya, Marinette, Nino, Adrien, Lila, Alix, Mylène, Rose and Juleka. It was a good-sized group… if you ignored Lila, which Marinette was trying really hard to do. She would have preferred Chloé over Lila at this point, which was saying a lot.

“I think they are,” Marinette said, omitting that Adrien did _not_ seem to be having fun. She narrowed her eyes at Lila, wishing that she was brave enough to tell Lila to get away from him.

Then again, maybe that wasn’t really Marinette’s place. Lila sure wasn’t going to listen to her when it came to Adrien. Nino, maybe, or Alya, for sure. But the best person to really tell her off would be Adrien himself. He wouldn’t though. He was just too polite for that.

“Good. I would hate to have this be a crappy party,” Alya said. She grabbed Marinette’s cup and tossed back the rest of Marinette’s drink.

“Hey!” Marinette said, loudly enough to catch Rose’s attention.

“I’ll get you a new drink, Marinette,” Rose said sweetly. “And you too, Alya. Juleka, will you help me?”

“Sure,” Juleka said, getting up off the floor. Rose beamed and looped her arm through Juleka’s as they walked into the kitchen.

That seemed to be some sort of sign. Alix left, muttering something about calling her parents. Nino walked out too. Adrien managed to squirm free of Lila and slipped out onto the balcony. Marinette half-expected Lila to follow him, but she didn’t.

“I’m gonna go check on my dress,” Alya said, standing. She walked out too.

That left Mylène, Lila, and Marinette. Marinette wished she still had her drink, if only to have something to do with her hands.

“Ah, shoot,” Mylène said, peeking down the hall. “I really gotta pee and someone is in the bathroom.” She wiggled a little.

“I think Alya’s parents have a bathroom in their bedroom,” Marinette told her.

Mylène frowned. “Alya probably wouldn’t want us going in there.” She squirmed again.

“Alya won’t care. It’s fine. Go ahead,” Marinette said, and she must have sounded convincing – or maybe Mylène just couldn’t hold it – because Mylène nodded and dashed down the hallway.

And that’s when Marinette realized she was now alone with Lila.

She briefly contemplated getting up to join Adrien. That awkwardness would be way better than Lila smirking at her in an annoyingly knowing fashion.

But then Lila cleared her throat and said, “Alya plans for us to watch scary movies later. I can’t wait to get scared and grab Adrien’s arm.”

“They’re just movies,” Marinette said coldly.

“Duh. That doesn’t mean I can’t pretend.” Lila’s smirk deepened and she pitched her voice a little higher. “Oh Adrien! I’m so scared of that killer! Please protect me!” She mimed grabbing Adrien’s arm and hugging it to her chest.

Marinette could feel a muscle twitching in her jaw as she ground her teeth.

“It’s just too much for me! I need a big, strong guy to protect me,” Lila continued, batting her eyelashes.

“Shut up!” Marinette snapped, maybe a little too loudly.

The lights went out.

Marinette froze in surprise at the sudden silence: the television had switched off, and Lila had gone quiet. She couldn’t even hear Juleka and Rose in the kitchen.

A power outage?

With the curtains drawn, it was so dark in the room that she couldn’t even see her hand in front of her face.

There was a sound in front of her.

Choked. Bitten off, maybe. Surprised?

“Lila?” Marinette said out loud, staring hard in the direction where Lila had been. She thought she could make out some shapes moving around as her eyes struggled to adjust to the dark.

“Marinette!” Alya called out. “Lila? You guys okay?”

“What’s going on? The whole block went out,” Adrien said. A moment later, a light flashed on. Marinette winced and looked away, blinking rapidly.

“Must be a power outage,” Marinette said, fighting the urge to rub her eyes. She’d ruin an hour’s worth of work if she smudged her make-up now. The last thing she needed was Adrien seeing her as a raccoon.

“Oh my god!” Rose screamed.

Marinette’s head snapped around to see what was wrong.

There, illuminated by the bright flashlight from Adrien’s phone, was Lila’s body with a big knife sticking out of her chest.

“Oh my god!” Alya exclaimed, covering her mouth. “Marinette, what happened?” She, Alix, Nino, and Mylène crowded in behind Rose and Juleka. All of their phone flashlights did a good job of lighting up the room. Marinette wished they wouldn’t. Her stomach flipped when she saw a spreading pool of blood on the floor.

“I… I don’t know,” she stammered. “The lights went out and –”

“You were alone with Lila,” Alix said, almost accusingly.

“Marinette?” Nino whispered.

They were all looking at her, even Adrien, and Marinette sank back against the couch. She opened her mouth.

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should leave the party, go to [**Chapter 2**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66677572).  
If you think Marinette should stay and try to figure out what happened, go to [**Chapter 3**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66677812).  
If you think Marinette should lock herself in the bathroom to figure things out, go to [**Chapter** **4**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66677842).


	2. Chapter 2

“What are you implying?” Marinette said to them all, her heart racing.

No one said anything.

Not _one_ of them.

She looked from one face to another.

Even Adrien…

“I had nothing to do with this,” Marinette said stiffly, getting up. “And I’m not going to sit here while you all think I’m capable of – of that!” She jabbed a finger in Lila’s direction, though she didn’t actually look at the body again. It was too awful, even if Lila had been a total bitch.

She walked over to the door, grabbed her shoes and jacket, and left. No one tried to stop her. That hurt even worse than the doubtful looks.

There was no saving her make-up now.

Marinette wiped feebly at her face as she went down the steps.

She wasn’t looking where she was going.

She missed a step.

No one heard her scream as she pitched down the stairs.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 1**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66677500) and try again._


	3. Chapter 3

“Are you serious right now?” Marinette said, somewhere between exasperated and offended. “You really think my way of dealing with Lila is to _kill_ her?”

“Well, you were alone with her,” Alix said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Alix, come on. Marinette, no one thinks that,” Nino said. He pushed past Alix and walked over to Lila’s body, peering down at her. “Maybe Lila… I don’t know, tripped and fell on the knife.”

“Seriously?” Alya said. She walked over too, making a face.

Marinette had to admit that seemed pretty unlikely. Lila was laying on her back with the knife sticking out of her chest. It would be pretty hard to fall on a knife from that position, right? Surely Lila would have been laying on her front if that had happened…

But whatever the case, one thing was obvious. Even from a distance, Marinette could see that Lila’s face was frozen into an expression of shock.

She hadn’t expected whatever was coming.

Which made sense, considering the room had been pitch black at the time.

In a way, that exonerated Marinette, didn’t it? Lila hated her as much as Marinette hated Lila. So, Lila would have definitely foreseen an attack from Marinette, even if it wouldn’t have been one of this magnitude. Especially with how she’d been teasing Marinette about Adrien before the lights went out.

Marinette wasn’t about to bring that up though. She wasn’t sure her reasoning was sound, and she didn’t need more evidence pointing towards her.

“Did someone break in?” Rose asked in a quivery voice, wrapping both arms around Juleka’s arm. It reminded Marinette of Lila’s taunting and she couldn’t help making a face, which made Juleka frown at her.

“I don’t think so. Everything else looks normal.” Alya shone the flashlight from her phone around the room. True to what she’d said, nothing looked out of place.

That meant that the killer had to be familiar with the layout of the room _before_ the power went out, Marinette realized. They were sloppy teenagers. Rose’s, Mylène’s and Juleka’s empty drink containers were still on the floor. So was the blanket Nino and Alya had been sharing earlier. Alix’s boots had somehow found their way in front of the coffee table. And so on and so forth.

Yet Marinette didn’t remember hearing someone tripping or stumbling.

“It had to have been someone!” Mylène said. “Otherwise, that means…” She trailed off, and they all looked around at each other.

“I was sitting on the couch,” Marinette said slowly. “Right here. I didn’t hear anyone open the door.” The door was only a couple feet away from the couch. She was positive that she would’ve heard it if someone had opened it either to come in or out.

“Maybe they came through a window, or the balcony,” said Nino.

“No one went past me,” Adrien said. “I would have noticed.”

“It was dark, and the balcony door was open. Are you sure?” Nino asked.

“I mean… I think so. But who could get to that balcony anyway? We’re on the tenth floor,” Adrien said. “Unless you think Ladybug or Chat Noir did it.”

Marinette gave a shrill laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. They would never!”

“An akuma, maybe?” Juleka offered.

They all paused to ponder that possibility.

“This doesn’t seem like something an akuma would do,” Alya said uncertainly. “But maybe…”

“Or maybe it was one of us,” Marinette said.

Everyone looked at her.

“What? It’s okay for Alix to accuse me, but not okay for me to point out that it could’ve been any of us?” Marinette said indignantly. “Look, I want to ask you all some questions.”

“Why should you be the one asking questions? You had the most opportunity!” Alix said.

Marinette put her hands on her hips. “That’s exactly why. Do you really think I’d be dumb enough to kill Lila right here, right now? _I’m_ the one most at risk for being framed for something that I didn’t do. So, I have the most incentive to figure out who did this and why.” She almost added that if she wanted to kill someone, no one would ever find out who did it – but stopped herself at the last second. That probably wouldn’t help either.

Alix looked ready to argue some more, but Adrien shook his head at her and said, “You can whatever you want, Marinette. I’ll answer anything.”

“Me too,” Alya said.

“Me three,” Mylène said, though a little more timidly.

Nino, Rose, and Juleka all nodded. After a moment, Alix heaved a huge sigh and threw her hands up.

“Fine, whatever.”

“Good,” Marinette said. “Okay then, I’ll start with…”

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should interview Nino first, go to [**Chapter 5**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678205).  
If you think Marinette should interview Adrien first, go to [**Chapter 6**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678259).  
If you think Marinette should interview Alya first, go to [**Chapter 7**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678319).


	4. Chapter 4

“Just what are you trying to imply?” Marinette demanded, getting up. She felt better on her feet. Less disoriented.

“Nothing,” Nino said placatingly, but Alix scoffed.

“Everyone knows you hate Lila. And now she’s mysteriously dead?” Alix said. “We’re not stupid.”

“Screw you,” Marinette snapped, pushing past them all. She headed into the main bathroom and shut the door, locking it behind her.

Her throat felt tight.

They thought… they _actually thought_ …

“I mean god, I hated that bitch, but I didn’t hate her that much,” Marinette muttered, wiping her face. Great, now her make-up was ruined. And it was still so dark there was no way she could see to fix it. She was going to look like a raccoon for her mug shot!

She scoffed at herself and took a blind step forward.

She stepped on something – a toy of some kind.

It slipped under her foot.

Marinette squeaked as she fell forward heavily.

Her head hit the corner of the bathtub, and she knew nothing else.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to **[chapter 1](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66677500)** and try again._


	5. Chapter 5

“… Nino!” Marinette finished. She needed to be sure she wouldn’t get distracted by how cute Adrien was before she could ask him any questions. And interviewing Alya was going to be awkward, considering how close Alya and Lila were and how tense things were between Alya and Marinette when Lila was the topic. Nino was by far the easiest to start with.

“Sure,” Nino said, smiling at her. “Come on.”

He led her down the hall to the bathroom. They stood just outside, because without the exhaust fan running, it was pretty stinky. Nino seemed unbothered by that, shining his phone’s flashlight into the room.

“I was in here when I heard the commotion,” he told Marinette. “It took me a little while because I had to clear a pathway to the toilet.”

“Huh?” Marinette said.

Nino pointed his =light at the floor. “Ella and Etta must have been playing with their toys in here,” he explained, and Marinette saw that the floor had a ton of kid’s toys on it, including some trucks and cars that would’ve been easy to slip on.

“Good thing you noticed them. You could’ve hurt yourself,” she said. She hadn’t thought this through. It wasn’t like she could ask Nino exactly what he’d been doing. Just the thought of it made her face go hot. Frankly, that was information she didn’t _want_ to know.

“Yeah. I don’t think I can help much, but I can tell you that I remember hearing Juleka and Rose talking to each other beforehand. They were talking about Juleka’s brother,” said Nino.

“Oh?” Marinette said as casually as possible. Alya had extended the invitation to Luka tonight, but he hadn’t come. Juleka had said he had other plans, but she hadn’t gone into detail about what those ‘other plans’ were.

Nino nodded. “And actually, they kept on talking after the lights went out. Rose almost started crying because she was scared, and Juleka was trying to calm her down.”

“Right,” Marinette said, dropping the idea of getting more information in favor of looking critically at the wall between the kitchen and the bathroom. It did look pretty thin, as the two rooms probably shared the same plumbing. She’d have to perform an experiment to be sure, but for the time being she decided to accept what Nino was saying as the truth.

That meant Nino, Rose and Juleka were all off her list as suspects. Because Marinette hadn’t heard anything from Rose or Juleka when the lights went out, but Nino had been able to hear them. Unless Rose and Juleka had come prepared and played a recording of themselves while killing Lila, which was pretty unlikely, those three were in the clear.

She supposed she could double check with Rose and Juleka to make sure that’s what they had really been talking about, and that Nino wasn’t lying. But honestly, Nino just didn’t seem like the type of guy to kill someone.

Unless it was Gabriel Agreste. Then Nino would totally be suspect number one.

“Do you have anything else to tell me?” Marinette asked.

Nino thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Sorry. By the time I was, uh, done, everyone else was already out in the living room.”

Marinette couldn’t remember what order people had shown up in, which sucked because that would’ve been good information to know. She frowned and sighed.

“Okay, thanks Nino.”

“Don’t worry. I know you didn’t do it,” Nino said, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “They never would’ve found Lila’s body if you had.”

“You are… not wrong,” Marinette said, giggling.

They both jumped when someone screamed.

“That sounded like Alix!” Marinette gasped, rushing back down the hallway. She almost collided with Rose, who was coming back out of the kitchen. Rose barely avoided sloshing the contents of two cups all over Marinette.

“What is it? What’s happening?” Rose cried out.

“In – in here!” Alya called, sounding shaky.

Marinette, Rose, Juleka and Nino rushed to the living room.

Alya, Adrien and Mylène were standing in a huddle by the balcony doors.

Lila’s body was still on the other couch.

And Alix’s body was on the floor.

“Oh no,” Rose whimpered, hiding her face in Juleka’s shoulder.

“Damn,” Marinette said under her breath.

Like Lila, Alix had been stabbed. She had the same shocked expression on her face that Lila had. Her phone was on the ground beside her, the flashlight still on. So maybe, unlike Lila, she had seen what was coming.

“What is happening?!” Alya wailed, sounding almost hysterical.

Marinette bit her lip, weighing her next option.

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should grab Alya and leave the party, go to [**Chapter 8**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678640).  
If you think Marinette should continue with the interviews by talking to Mylène, go to [**Chapter 9**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678742#workskin).  
If you think Marinette should talk to Tikki before deciding her next move, go to [**Chapter 10**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678820).


	6. Chapter 6

“… Adrien!” Marinette finished. He was the most open to talking to her from what she could tell, so he was the logical first choice.

Adrien smiled at her and nodded. “Sure. Let’s go out on the balcony for some privacy.”

“Okay,” Marinette said, walking over to him. Her stomach fluttered as they stepped out onto the balcony together, but she was distracted when she realized that Adrien was right. With low-hanging, dark clouds and no lights, it was as dark outside as it was inside.

Luckily, they had their phones. She pulled out her phone to turn the flashlight on, but it slipped out of her hands and clattered to the floor.

Marinette swore quietly and ducked down to grab it, inadvertently shoving Adrien.

“Hey -!” Adrien cried out, startled.

He fell against – and then _over_ the railing.

She cried out his name and grabbed for him.

His momentum pulled her over the railing too.

They fell.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette and Adrien are dead! Return to[ **chapter 3**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66677812) and try again._


	7. Chapter 7

“… Alya!” Marinette finished. Surely, it would be easiest to start with her best friend.

Alya nodded. “Let’s go to my bedroom.”

Marinette followed her down the dark hallway. She was familiar with Alya’s room, but it was still a little spooky to be in there in the dark. The light of Alya’s phone seemed to make weird shadows on the walls.

“Did you ever check on your dress?” she asked, looking at the pile of clothing stacked on Alya’s desk. Pretty much everything Alya owned was there, so she must’ve been searching hard for something else to wear after the twins ruined her original outfit.

“Umm no. It’s in my closet. You can look if you want,” Alya said, sounding distracted.

Marinette walked over to the closet, stood right in front of the door, and started to open it.

“Marinette, wait! The twins were in here earlier and probably set up a booby trap!” Alya yelled.

It was too late.

The tidal wave of miscellaneous items poured down onto Marinette’s head, and she disappeared beneath it.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 3**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66677812) and try again._


	8. Chapter 8

“Come on, Alya. Let’s go to my place. It’s too dangerous here,” Marinette said. “Everyone else should go home too.”

They all dispersed quickly. Marinette pulled on her boots and forced Alya into a sweater and boots before hustling her friends down the many steps to the first floor. They were the last ones outside, so everyone else was gone by the time they got there. A chill ran down Marinette’s spine when she saw how dark it was.

“I don’t know, Marinette. Maybe we should stay here,” Alya said.

“You want to stay with two dead bodies?” Marinette said.

Alya bit her lip and said nothing.

“That’s what I thought. Let’s go.” Marinette grabbed her hand and pulled Alya out onto the street.

At that very moment, a car whipped around the corner.

By the time the driver saw the two girls in the headlights, it was too late.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette and Alya are dead! Return to[ **chapter 5**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678205) and try again._


	9. Chapter 9

It didn’t feel right to leave without knowing what had happened and why. Marinette clenched her hands into fists. This was one situation where Ladybug couldn’t do much, but Marinette might be able to make a big difference. She looked at each of her remaining friends.

Nino, Rose and Juleka had pretty much been wiped off her list of suspects. That left Alya, Adrien, and Mylène. She didn’t really want to talk to Adrien or Alya yet, which meant that her next choice was obvious.

“Mylène, it’s your turn,” Marinette declared, and she didn’t think it was her imagination that Mylène looked kind of nervous. But she meekly followed Marinette out of the living room and down the hall into Alya’s parent’s bedroom. It was a really nice room, beautifully decorated, and normally Marinette lingered for a moment or two to admire the artwork Alya’s mom put on the walls.

Tonight though, she was right down to business. But before she could say anything, Mylène spoke up.

“I didn’t even want to be here tonight. Ivan and I were supposed to have a date, but he ended up getting stuck watching his little sister and their cousins instead. His mom said I wasn’t allowed to come over with no adults around. So, I ended up here instead,” Mylène said, wringing her hands together.

“That sucks. Why doesn’t his mom trust you guys?” Marinette said, momentarily distracted.

Mylène blushed prettily. “She, um, caught in his room one time,” she admitted.

“What? Seriously?” Marinette gasped.

“Yeah… we weren’t doing anything,” Mylène rushed to add. “We were just kissing. But his mom flipped out and said that from now on, I’m not allowed their house unless his mom or dad is there too.”

“Huh,” Marinette said, a little impressed. Mylène and Ivan were the last couple she would have pegged for something like that. Alya and Nino? Oh yeah. But Mylène had always seemed so… prudish.

“Anyway, like I said I didn’t even want to come. Alix made me,” Mylène said. “I had no idea that Lila was going to be here. I like Lila! I wouldn’t have any reason to kill her!”

“Even though Lila lied last week and made it so that she was Ivan’s partner on our English project, not you?” Marinette asked knowingly.

Mylène frowned. “We don’t know that she was lying, Marinette.”

“Sure,” Marinette said, rolling her eyes. Even now, people were still fooled by all of Lila’s bullshit. Marinette kind of wanted to shake the hand of whoever had done her in.

“You’re the only one who didn’t like her,” Mylène said suspiciously.

“But I liked Alix,” Marinette said. “Alix was a good friend of mine.”

Of course, if it had been Marinette, she could have killed Alix to cover up for killing Lila. And Alix had just been accusing her. She hoped that Mylène wouldn’t realize that.

“That’s true,” Mylène said, relaxing a little. “I don’t think I can help much. I came in here to pee and I had only just finished when the lights went out. I’m not familiar with their bathroom, so I ended up knocking all this stuff of the counter.” She sighed. “It took me a couple of minutes to pick everything up and try to figure out where it went, and I still don’t think I got it all right.”

Marinette walked over to the bathroom and shone her phone’s flashlight inside. She could see what Mylène meant. Instead of the neatly categorized counter that Marinette remembered, there were containers scattered all over the place. She quickly sorted things as best she could, putting the majority on the side of the sink that Alya’s mom used and the rest near the other sink for Alya’s dad.

“There,” Marinette said, turning back to Mylène. “So, Nino really was in the bathroom?”

“If it wasn’t him, it was someone who was taking forever,” Mylène said, squeezing her thighs together in remembrance. “I thought I was going to pee myself.”

“Alya told me that was a big problem before her parents built a second bathroom,” Marinette said.

“Oh!” Mylène said suddenly.

Marinette startled, nearly dropping her phone. “What?”

“I just remembered that Alya and Alix were fighting earlier!” Mylène exclaimed.

“They were? I don’t remember that,” said Marinette.

“It was while you and Adrien and Nino were out on the balcony,” said Mylène. “Alix made a mean comment about what Alya was wearing and Alya got really mad.”

Oops. Suddenly Marinette got why Alya had been upset about Marinette’s mention of her clothing earlier too.

“It didn’t last very long, but Alya wasn’t happy,” Mylène continued. “And you know Alix. She wouldn’t apologize.”

“Right,” Marinette said thoughtfully. That could be a motive for Alya to kill Alix, maybe. But what about Lila? As far as Marinette knew, everything between Alya and Lila was fine.

Unless there were problems that Alya hadn’t mentioned. Marinette and Alya didn’t exactly talk about Lila much.

Marinette rubbed her temple. This was getting to be a lot.

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should call her parents for advice, go to [**Chapter 11**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679249).  
If you think Marinette should interview Alya next, go to [**Chapter 12**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679312).  
If you think Marinette should interview Adrien next, go to [**Chapter 13**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679399).


	10. Chapter 10

“I need a moment,” Marinette said, backing out of the room. She edged past Rose and Juleka and went into the kitchen. There was no door, but she was pretty sure she’d be able to hear if anyone was coming.

“Marinette? Are you okay?” Tikki whispered, poking her head out of Marinette’s purse.

“No! This is crazy, Tikki!” Marinette ranted, pacing back and forth. “What the hell is going on?”

“I don’t know, but you need to calm down. Getting upset isn’t going to help matters,” Tikki said. She was obviously trying to sound soothing, but she actually just sounded sort of alarmed. That only made Marinette feel even worse, and she spun around to say as much.

Her feet hit a slick spot.

As she fell backwards, Marinette realized that Rose or Juleka must have spilled some of the drinks on the floor.

The last thing she heard was Tikki yelling her name.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 5**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678205) and try again._


	11. Chapter 11

She needed advice.

“I think I’m going to call my mom and dad,” Marinette said.

“Okay,” Mylène said, shrugging. She left Marinette there and headed back down the hallway.

Marinette sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her phone. The flashlight was draining her phone’s battery pretty fast. If she wanted to have enough juice for a call, she’d have to shut it off.

But that would leave her in the dark again.

She frowned at herself.

It was just the dark.

“Ugh, this whole thing is freaking me out,” she complained, holding up her phone. The screen obligingly lit up.

In the reflection of the screen, she suddenly realized there was a large painting on the ceiling.

It was tilting.

Tilting towards her.

And then the supports that kept it fastened to the ceiling broke.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 9**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678742) and try again._


	12. Chapter 12

As much as she didn’t want to, she needed to talk to Alya.

“I need to talk to Alya,” Marinette said out loud, and Mylène smiled and nodded. They went back out to the living room. Mylène stopped in the kitchen with Rose and Juleka to give Marinette and Alya privacy. Marinette found Alya sitting on the couch.

“I just can’t believe it,” Alya said when she saw Marinette.

“Yeah, it’s pretty shocking,” Marinette said.

“And to make the whole night worse, the stupid power still hasn’t come on,” Alya said, exasperated. “Look, my phone is dying. I’m gonna plug it in just in case.”

She grabbed her phone cord, plugged her phone in, and then went to plug the socket into the wall.

Just as she did, the lights came on.

Alya froze, mouth wide open.

It took Marinette a second to understand what was happening. Alya was being electrocuted!

Then, without thinking, she grabbed at Alya.

The second her hands made contact, that was it.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette and Alya are dead! Return to[ **chapter 9**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66678742) and try again._


	13. Chapter 13

“I think I’ll talk to Adrien next,” Marinette said. She wasn’t ready to talk to Alya yet. Adrien was Adrien, but at least he didn’t like Lila.

Mylène’s smile was full of mischief. “Have fun with that.”

“Not like that,” Marinette said. It was her turn to blush. She was glad for the dark as she followed Mylène back out to the living room. Alya’s bedroom was shut, and Marinette noticed that Rose and Juleka were the only ones in the kitchen. That meant Alya and Nino must have been in Alya’s bedroom. She rolled her eyes again, knowing exactly what was going on in there.

“You guys can talk on the balcony,” Mylène said, stopping in the doorway of the living room.

Adrien, who was sitting on the couch, pointed at himself. “Me?”

“Yup, you,” Marinette said, walking towards the balcony. She sternly told herself to be cool as she crossed the threshold and moved to the side. Adrien joined her a moment later, sliding the door shut behind him. When Marinette glanced over at him, she realized that he was holding a candle to give them some light.

“My phone was starting to get low. Juleka’s was too. Alya found these candles for us,” he explained, noticing her look. He set the candle on the railing. It flickered a bit, but thankfully the night air was still.

“My phone was getting low too,” Marinette said for lack of anything better to say. She lifted her head and looked out over the neighborhood. The whole block was out and it was eerie to see Paris so dark. She wondered what had happened. Was the power outage an accident or by design?

Adrien leaned against the railing, slumping his shoulders. “This night sure didn’t go the way I thought it would.”

“Do you regret coming?” Marinette asked before she could stop herself. Immediately, she felt like slapping herself for asking such a dumb question.

But much to her surprise, Adrien looked a little embarrased. “Not really? I know that sounds morbid, but – but at least I didn’t spend Halloween night stuck in my room again.”

“I don’t think it’s morbid at all,” Marinette said softly. She flushed when he smiled at her, hastily looking away.

Right. She was here to talk to Adrien about what had happened.

She already knew that he had to be innocent – come on, it was _Adrien_ \- but that didn’t mean he couldn’t offer some valuable insight.

“What do you think happened?” Marinette asked, staring hard at the city.

Adrien hummed thoughtfully. “Honestly? I have no idea. I know _you_ didn’t do it.”

“You do?” Marinette said in a small voice.

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently. “Of course I do. You could never do anything like that. I don’t think any of us could. It has to be someone else.”

“Who?” Marinette asked, trying to ignore her racing pulse. “Adrien, there is no one else. I was sitting right beside the door. I know it was dark, but I would’ve heard if someone came in or out. You said it yourself. We’re up on the 10th floor. How could someone have made it inside?”

He frowned. “But… do you really think our friends are capable of that?”

“No. If Lila were still alive, I totally would have pegged her for it,” Marinette muttered.

Adrien chuckled. The sound lightened her heavy heart and she gave him a shy smile.

“Maybe we should call in reinforcements,” Adrien said.

“You mean like our parents?” Marinette said, unenthused by the thought.

“No. I meant like Ladybug.”

Her eyes popped open wide. “L-Ladybug?!”

“Yeah. She could look around the windows and stuff to see if anyone tried to climb inside,” Adrien said, clearly warming to the idea. “And I’m sure that no one would get hurt with Ladybug here!”

Marinette wasn’t sure how to tell him just how wrong he was. Ladybug _was_ here and that hadn’t helped Alix or Lila one bit. But then again, no one else knew Ladybug was here. She could always make an excuse for Marinette leaving, and maybe Ladybug’s presence _would_ be enough to help…

“Exactly how do you plan on getting Ladybug here?” she asked carefully. “Do you like, have her phone number?” She knew that Adrien didn’t, of course. But he didn’t know that she knew that.

“Uh, no,” Adrien said quickly. “I thought we could get Alya to make a post on the blog. Maybe Ladybug would see it. What do you think?”

“I… I think…” Marinette trailed off. “I think –”

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should slip off and transform into Ladybug, go to [**Chapter 14**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679591).  
If you think Marinette should go along with Adrien but not show up as Ladybug, go to [**Chapter 15**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679660).  
If you think Marinette should make an excuse, go to [**Chapter 16**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679759).


	14. Chapter 14

“I think you should make the post,” Marinette heard herself say. “Ladybug might even be out patrolling tonight and making sure things are okay during the power outage. Maybe she’ll stop by!”

“Maybe,” Adrien said, seemingly excited by the idea. “I’m gonna go talk to Alya!”

Marinette watched as he rushed inside and sighed. There was nowhere inside the apartment she could transform privately, and she was visible on the balcony. It was unlikely they’d let her leave alone. An escort home would defeat the whole purpose. It would make more sense for Ladybug to show up and say she saw Marinette heading home and then came here.

Only one thing for it.

Sighing heavily at the situations she got herself into, Marinette awkwardly clambered up onto the railing. She carefully stood up and eyed the balcony of Alya’s next door neighbor.

It was several feet away, but the curtains were closed. Either no one was home, or they didn’t like having their curtains open at night. Either way, it worked for Marinette. It would be a safe place for her to transform.

She bent her legs, crossed her fingers, and jumped.

She didn’t make it.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 13**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679399) and try again._


	15. Chapter 15

“Sure,” Marinette heard herself saying. She couldn’t think of a good excuse. Ladybug might not see the blog post. It wouldn’t look suspicious, right? No one would think Ladybug was already here just because she didn’t show up, right? She could feel herself sweating.

Adrien’s face lit up. “You really think it’s a good idea?” he asked excitedly, bouncing on his heels. He seemed so happy about the possibility of Ladybug coming that it was sweet.

It was rocking Marinette’s world.

No, wait.

The world was _literally_ rocking.

She blinked for a moment, confused, before it dawned on her that the balcony was moving under their feet.

The balcony crumbled away beneath them.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette and Adrien are dead! Return to[ **chapter 13**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679399) and try again._


	16. Chapter 16

“We probably shouldn’t,” Marinette said, thinking quickly. “This isn’t really Ladybug’s thing to deal with, right? Or Chat Noir’s, for that matter.” She paused for a moment. “Wait. Don’t you think that any post we make should be directed at Ladybug _and_ Chat Noir?”

There was a split-second pause during which Adrien’s eyes went very wide, and then he coughed. “Y-yeah, of course. You’re right, Marinette. I wasn’t thinking. It would be rude to take up the time of Paris’s superheroes,” he said quickly. “That was selfish of me.”

“It’s okay. I’m sure they would both be here if they could,” Marinette said, feeling a tiny twinge of guilt. Adrien seemed like he really wanted to see Ladybug. Was it because he was scared, or did he just see this as a convenient excuse to see Ladybug?

Frankly, both options were fine with her. She let herself picture, just for a moment, Adrien hugging Ladybug’s arm because he was scared.

It had been super annoying when Lila wanted to do that to Adrien.

But if Adrien wanted to do that to Ladybug…

The sound of Alya screaming jolted Marinette out of her thoughts. She and Adrien looked at each other and then, as one, both of them bolted into the living room to the kitchen.

Marinette stopped short when she saw the reason why Alya had been screaming.

Rose and Juleka were both dead.

Juleka was crumbled in a heap on the floor near the table, a knife in her back. Rose was laying a few feet away, a knife in her chest. Much like Lila and Alix, Rose looked very surprised. Juleka was the only one of them who didn’t have a shocked expression.

They must have gotten Juleka first, Marinette thought numbly. Poor Rose would have seen it all.

So then why hadn’t Rose screamed?

“Oh my gosh, what is happening?” Mylène cried, folding in on herself.

“I don’t know,” Marinette whispered.

She looked around at their remaining friends.

Adrien was ashen, trying not to look at Rose and Juleka but unable to look away. Alya had her face buried in Nino’s shoulder. The brim of Nino’s hat was pulled low, shielding his face. Mylène had her hands over her mouth. All of them seemed to be in varying states of shock.

But one of them had to be a killer.

Marinette shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

“Okay, Adrien and I can vouch for each other. We were out on the balcony together. Where were the rest of you?” she asked, trying not to sound too accusatory.

“Alya and I were in her bedroom,” Nino said. He was a little pink in the cheeks, either embarrassed or flushed with exertion, and he cleared his throat self-consciously when Marinette narrowed her eyes at him. No second guesses needed as to what he and Alya had been up to.

“We came out to get a drink and found – this,” Alya said, gulping as she lifted her head.

“Mylène?” Adrien said.

“I was in the living room,” Mylène said in a tiny voice.

“Alone?” Marinette said, already knowing the answer.

Mylène stiffened. “Yeah, I was alone. So what?”

“So that means you were the only person who could have done this,” Marinette said.

“That’s not true,” Mylène disagreed. “You’re still the person who has the most motive. You hated Lila and you didn’t like anyone who was friendly with her. Alix and Lila were friends, and Juleka and Rose were nice to everyone!”

“I was with Adrien when Juleka and Rose died, and I was with Nino when Alix died. It couldn’t have been me,” Marinette retorted, realizing that her decision to interview people had actually given her an alibi for at least three or the four deaths tonight.

“Hey, hey. Let’s not turn on each other,” Nino said, holding up a hand. “Maybe it’s none of us. It could be someone else.”

“Or it could be different people are responsible for different murders. Maybe people are taking advantage of the situation,” Adrien put in, looking troubled.

“Or maybe,” Alya said softly. “It’s two or more people working together.”

A chill ran up Marinette’s spine.

She had never stopped to consider either of those two options. She had been working off the assumption that one person was responsible for all the murders.

But if Adrien was right, that meant one person had killed Lila and then someone else had killed Alix, Rose and Juleka, hoping to pin all the murders on the original murderer.

If Alya was right, then everything Marinette had learned so far could be meaningless because the partners could be covering for each other.

They all looked at each other again. Nino let go of Alya, and she stepped away from him.

An uncomfortable, tense silence fell.

No one said a word.

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should agree to call in Ladybug after all, go to [**Chapter 17**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680023).  
If you think Marinette should lock herself into Alya’s bedroom, go to [**Chapter 18**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680122).  
If you think Marinette should leave the party, go to [**Chapter 19**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680185).


	17. Chapter 17

“Maybe we should call Ladybug in,” Adrien said finally.

“What?” Alya said, looking immediately interested by any mention of her hero.

“What?” Marinette said at the same time.

“Let’s go talk about it in your room,” Adrien said to Alya.

Well shit.

She couldn’t exactly say no when Adrien _and_ Alya looked so excited.

Noticing that Alya had stopped to get a drink, Marinette didn’t think. She slipped down the hall and, before she could second guess herself, slid underneath Alya’s bed so that she could eavesdrop. That way, she’d know just how much she needed to worry about this blog post.

There was just one thing she hadn’t accounted for.

Alya’s bed was pretty low to the ground.

Marinette really had to suck in her gut to squeeze under, and it definitely wasn’t comfortable. The mattress pressed against her back.

And when Adrien and Alya came in, they threw themselves down on the bed so hard she didn’t even have the breath to squeak. Then they didn’t get up. They stayed there, chit chatting and making Ladybug-related plans, for a long time.

Too long.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 16** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679759)and try again._


	18. Chapter 18

“I need a minute,” Marinette said at last, hoping that she didn’t sound as anxious as she felt. She pushed past Nino and Alya and quickly walked down the hall to Alya’s bedroom. It was probably pretty rude to close and lock the door, effectively barring Alya from her own bedroom, but right then Marinette was past caring.

She sank down onto the bed and bent double, trying to take slow, deep breaths.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Tikki whispered, poking her head out of Marinette’s purse. Seeing that they were definitely alone, she emerged from her hiding spot and hovered worriedly in front of Marinette.

“I… am very much not,” Marinette replied, though she felt a little better when she looked at Tikki’s comforting smile.

“It’ll be okay,” Tikki said soothingly. “You can figure this out.”

“That’s just it. I’m not sure I _want_ to figure it out. I don’t want to think about my friends being killers,” Marinette explained.

They were probably right that it was more than one person.

Or maybe it _had_ been more than one person.

What if there was still a killer, but the killer had killed their partner?

She had all but crossed Juleka and Rose off her list, and she’d barely even had the chance to consider Alix a suspect.

Maybe Alix had helped whoever killed Lila, and they had then murdered Alix to keep her quiet.

Maybe Juleka, or even sweet Rose, had been complicit…

Marinette rubbed at her aching temples. The problem was that she only had what everyone said to go off of, but she couldn’t trust that people were telling her the truth. Nino said he’d been able to hear Rose and Juleka talking while Lila was being killed, but Marinette hadn’t been able to confirm that with Rose or Juleka before they died.

“Talk to me,” Tikki urged.

“I don’t know what to say. I keep going over where everyone was, and what they said they were doing… I feel like this all leads back to Lila somehow, but even that makes no sense!” Marinette exclaimed in exasperation.

Tikki tilted her head cutely. “Why not?”

“Because Alix and Mylène were right. I’m the only person who had a problem with Lila. I’m the one with the most motivation to kill her. She kept teasing me about Adrien, and that’s on top of every other stunt she’s pulled,” Marinette said, shoulders slumping.

“Hmm.” Tikki tapped her paw against her chin. “What if I told you that you’re not the only one who had a problem with Lila?”

“What?” Marinette said, genuinely bewildered. “Tikki, everyone else loved Lila.”

“Adrien didn’t,” Tikki said. Marinette froze.

“What?” she said again, quieter this time.

“I was watching his face while Lila was snuggling up to him. He was pretty unhappy,” Tikki said.

Marinette stared at her for a moment, then shook her head. “No. No way. It’s not Adrien.”

“Marinette?”

Both girl and kwami jumped.

“I heard my name. Are you okay?” Adrien called.

“Uh – uh, I’m fine! Just talking to myself!” Marinette said loudly, hoping that he hadn’t heard Tikki speak. She absolutely hated to pull out the old ‘I was practicing voices for my ventriloquism act’ lie.

“Can I come in?” Adrien asked.

Marinette started to say yes, but Tikki quickly flew in close enough to press a paw to her mouth.

“Be careful. You don’t know that it’s not Adrien,” she hissed. “You could be letting a killer in!”

“Don’t be silly, Tikki. It is absolutely not Adrien. Now hide,” Marinette whispered back, grabbing the kwami and shoving Tikki back into her purse. Then she hopped up and went to the door, unlocking it to reveal Adrien’s adorably worried expression.

“You okay?” he asked quietly. “This is a lot.”

“Yeah, I think so. I just needed a minute, you know?” Marinette said, smiling at him.

He smiled back. “I get that. I feel like I’ve been alone all night.”

Because he had been.

Marinette’s smile stiffened as she realized that Adrien had been alone during Lila’s and Alix’s murders.

Could he…?

“I thought this party would be way more fun than it turned out to be,” he went on. “Instead, it turned into this. My father is going to lock me up for a year after he hears about this.”

“That will suck,” Marinette said, forcing herself to keep smile.

Adrien’s smile faded, replaced by a curious frown. “Marinette, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette and Adrien should join the others, go to [**Chapter 20**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680833).  
If you think Marinette should stay alone in the room with Adrien, go to [**Chapter 21**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680935).  
If you think Marinette should invite someone else to join her and Adrien for safety, go to [**Chapter 22**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681001).


	19. Chapter 19

“I’m leaving,” Marinette announced.

No one tried to stop her as she marched out of the room and headed for the door, grabbing her boots and jacket along the wall. The power came back on as Marinette stepped into the hallway and she exhaled in relief. After so much darkness, it was uplifting just to see the lights overhead.

She slipped onto her boots and jacket and walked over to the elevator. She pulled out her phone, hit the down button, and turned the flashlight off on her phone. Then she started tapping out a text to her parents, letting them know that the party had ended earlier than anticipated and that she wouldn’t be staying at Alya’s.

The elevator beeped and the doors slid open.

Marinette didn’t look up from her phone as she moved forward.

She didn’t notice that the elevator itself had malfunctioned.

She stepped out into empty space.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 16**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66679759) and try again._


	20. Chapter 20

“I’m fine,” Marinette said. She was just being paranoid. All of them had been alone at one point or another during the party. Nino had also been alone during Lila’s murder and so had Alya and Alix. Actually, Mylène had been alone during both murders too.

Yes, right. It couldn’t be Adrien.

Her smile was more genuine this time. “Thanks, Adrien. I think I just needed to know that I wasn’t alone.”

“I didn’t do anything, but you’re welcome,” Adrien said, smiling back. “Do you want to hide out in here for a while, or do you want to rejoin the others?”

“Let’s go see how everyone else is making out. I want to check on Alya,” Marinette said, feeling a little bad that she’d left her best friend when Alya was so obviously upset.

“Lead the way,” Adrien said, gesturing grandly to the door.

So Marinette did, walking back up the darkened hallway to find that Alya, Nino, and Mylène were all standing tensely in the living room. Looking around at them, Marinette got the feeling that she and Adrien had missed something. An argument, maybe? That was definitely the face that Alya made when she was pissed off.

“Everything okay?” Marinette asked cautiously.

“No. Nothing about this is okay,” Alya said shrilly. She folded her arms over her chest. “I think you had the right idea, Marinette. We should all lock ourselves in a separate room and wait for the power to come back on.”

“Seriously?” Marinette said, a bit surprised.

“Yeah, seriously. You can take my parent’s bedroom. Adrien can take their bathroom. I’ll take my room. Nino can take the main bathroom, and Mylène can stay out here. That way, we’ll all be safe,” Alya said.

Marinette looked at Adrien. He shrugged.

So did Nino and Mylène.

“Sure, I guess,” Marinette said. Maybe she and Adrien should have stayed lock up in Alya’s bedroom after all. At least then the boys wouldn’t have been forced to stay in the bathroom.

But neither Adrien nor Nino seemed to mind as they all went to their assigned places. Marinette watched as Adrien closed the bathroom door and locked it before she closed and locked the door to Alya’s parent’s bedroom. Technically Adrien was safe from her, but she wasn’t safe from Adrien since he could unlock the bathroom door at any point. She wondered if Alya had done that on purpose.

Even in a crisis, Alya was always scheming.

Marinette found she didn’t mind. Adrien wasn’t the killer, but, even if he was, she thought that it was better for her to be in a tiny bit more danger than anyone else. If push came to shove, Marinette could always transform into Ladybug to defend herself. No human could withstand Ladybug.

She took a seat on the bed, realizing that someone else’s bedroom was pretty boring when the power was out. If this were Alya’s room, she could at least snoop through Alya’s clothing and try some cute stuff on. Marinette didn’t dare try on any of Alya’s mom’s stuff. Even if it fit, it would be way too old for her tastes.

“Marinette, you out there?” Adrien called through the door.

“Yup. Seems we’re separated by a door again,” Marinette said, stretching her legs out.

“This is really boring,” Adrien said. She heard the sound of him shuffling around and winced. A bathroom didn’t exactly scream comfort.

“Tell me about it. I had such a great night planned,” Marinette said. But then Lila had to go and be her typical self, and now this. She sighed and dramatically threw her head back.

Cool air caressed her cheek. Her eyes opened wide.

What was that?

Marinette stood and blindly made her way to the window. She had never seen it open before; Alya’s parent’s bedroom faced another apartment building, so they always kept the sweeping curtains shut. But now the curtains were cracked, so she opened them the rest of the way and gasped.

Another balcony.

“What?” Marinette breathed. The balcony door was slid open. Marinette stepped out and looked around.

She immediately zeroed in on the fact that the living room balcony was like four feet away.

An easy jump… even for an unathletic girl like Mylène.

Could it be? Had Mylène used the bathroom as an excuse? Had she jumped over to the living room balcony, slipped past Adrien, killed Lila, then retraced her steps?

That timeframe seemed tight, though. Marinette couldn’t remember exactly, but she thought that not much time had passed between Lila’s death and the discovery of her body. Certainly not more than a minute or two. Long enough for Mylène to hide herself on the living room balcony, maybe.

The theory only worked if Mylène and Adrien were partners.

 _Killing_ partners.

“Marinette? You went quiet,” Adrien called out. “What’s happening? Marinette?”

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should remain locked in the bedroom, go to [**Chapter 23**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681193).  
If you think Marinette should confront Mylène, go to [**Chapter 24**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681286).  
If you think Marinette should confront Adrien, go to [**Chapter 25**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681358).


	21. Chapter 21

“I’m fine,” Marinette said, shaking her morbid thoughts off.

This was Adrien. The sweetest, gentlest guy that she’d ever met.

No way.

This time, her smile was more genuine. “Well, as fine as I can be with a killer running around.”

“Right?” Adrien said, sighing. “I figure there’s safety in numbers though.”

“Yeah, right,” Marinette said, nodding.

She wasn’t the killer, and she knew Adrien wasn’t the killer, so they were safe together.

“And anyway, I needed a break from Alya and Mylène crying,” Adrien added, sitting down on the bed. He patted the space beside him. Marinette hesitantly sat down.

“I guess they’re upset. Maybe we should’ve called Ladybug and Chat in,” Marinette said.

Adrien laughed a little. “Why, so Chat could Cataclysm the enemy?” he asked, holding his hands up like little claws. Marinette laughed too, daring to lean against him.

“Hell yeah he’d Cataclysm them! … Oops.”

Marinette barely had the time to realize that was Plagg speaking before she turned to dust.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette and Adrien are dead! Return to[ **chapter 18**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680122) and try again._


	22. Chapter 22

“I’m fine, but, uh – Nino!” Marinette called out, making Adrien jump this time.

Nino swiftly appeared at the door. “You rang?”

“I thought the three of us could brainstorm,” Marinette lied, gesturing for him to enter. Nino swaggered inside and took a seat on the bed, looking suspiciously at home in Alya’s bedroom.

“I’m always up for a session, my dudes!” he said, reclining on the bed with his hands behind his head. Adrien set a candle on the nightstand for light, which reflected oddly through Nino’s glasses.

Marinette sat in Alya’s desk chair, while Adrien sat on the bed beside Nino. Despite what Marinette claimed, no one said anything for a few minutes.

Adrien and Nino both grew distracted by their phones. Shortly, so did Marinette.

It took her a little while to smell the smoke.

By the time she looked up and realized that the candle had fallen over, it was too late.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette, Adrien, and Nino are dead! Return to[ **chapter 18**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680122) and try again._


	23. Chapter 23

“Nothing. It’s all good,” Marinette said, and maybe her voice sounded a bit shrill even to her own ears, but hopefully Adrien wouldn’t think there was anything too strange.

“Okay,” Adrien said, sounding a little uncertain – but he also stayed inside the bathroom, which was good.

Marinette looked out again at the quiet city. Above her, she could hear what sounded like an argument between a man and a woman. It sounded like the guy had been paying too much attention to a young colleague for his wife’s liking. Strange as it sounded, Marinette sorely wished that was _her_ biggest problem at the moment.

She leaned her arms against the railing. It was only about ten hours until morning. By then, maybe the power would be back on. In the meantime, she switched some music on her phone to fill the silence – and so she’d have a convenient excuse not to talk to Adrien.

It was too bad she wasn’t listening to the couple above her.

She totally missed something heavy being tossed out their window, but it would’ve been impossible to miss how it hit her.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 20**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680833) and try again._


	24. Chapter 24

“It’s fine,” Marinette said to Adrien even while she was quietly unlocking the door. She slipped out into the dark hallway and made her way back towards the living room. The sound of someone crying caught her attention instantly.

“Who – who’s there?” Mylène asked.

“It’s me,” Marinette replied, fumbling for her phone. But the battery had died. She jabbed at it in frustration.

“I said who’s there?!” Mylène demanded, her voice much higher pitched than usual. “Oh my gosh, it’s the killer. They’ve come for me! I won’t let you hurt me!”

“Mylène, it’s me!” Marinette tried to shout, but Mylène was so panicked she couldn’t even hear. She came at Marinette, swinging wildly, and accidentally pushed Marinette too hard. Marinette fell back. Her head impacted against the counter.

She didn’t get back up.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 20** ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66680833)and try again._


	25. Chapter 25

“I’m still here,” Marinette said, belatedly realizing that her being so quiet was probably freaking Adrien out. Her fingers tightened around the railing. She couldn’t say nothing, and it didn’t make much sense to go confront Mylène when Adrien was right here.

“Oh good. You had me a little worried. I hate that there are no windows in here,” said Adrien. The discomfort in his voice gave her pause.

Did Adrien not like small spaces?

“You can come out if you want,” she said. That was probably stupid if Adrien was guilty, but at least it would give her the chance to see his face while they talked. It was always easier to tell if someone was telling the truth if you could see their expressions.

“Are you sure?” Adrien asked.

“Of course,” Marinette said, looking over her shoulder. The bathroom door lock unsnapped and Adrien came out pretty much immediately, looking a little shaken and breathing an audible sigh of relief as soon as he was in the bedroom. He definitely didn’t like small places, she decided.

“Thanks,” he said. “What are you doing?”

“I was looking at the balconies,” she said, keeping her voice casual. “I wondered if someone could jump across the gap.”

Adrien moved to join her on the balcony, frowning. “I don’t know, Marinette. You’d have to be pretty confident in yourself to make a jump like that.”

“It’s only a few feet away,” said Marinette.

“We’re _ten stories up_ ,” Adrien said, somewhat incredulously.

Marinette glanced down, having forgotten that tiny fact. It was too dark to see the street right now, so it looked like a long fall down into utter blackness. She wasn’t afraid of heights and just thinking about falling over the edge made sweat break out on her forehead.

It was enough to make her rethink her grand theory. Mylène was not the most athletic person. She consistently sat on the sidelines in gym and didn’t really enjoy sports when she had to participate. Maybe thinking that she could, or would, make a jump like that was over-estimating her abilities. Marinette wouldn’t have hesitated to do it, but then again Marinette could also transform into Ladybug if she slipped and fell.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Marinette said. Maybe she was letting this whole situation get to her. She was starting to have paranoid thoughts about people she _knew_ weren’t a part of this, like Adrien.

Adrien was a smart boy. He looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Wait, you don’t Mylène jumped the balconies, do you?”

“It had crossed my mind. I thought she might have slipped past you,” said Marinette, deciding to omit the fact that Adrien had also been a suspect for a moment or two.

“I think I would have noticed that,” Adrien said.

“It was dark. The power had just gone out,” Marinette pointed out.

“Yeah… but trust me. I would have noticed,” Adrien said firmly, and Marinette found that she believed him.

She believed _in_ him.

Adrien was not the killer.

So that left Mylène, Nino, or Alya.

Or some combination of the above.

“Okay. Okay, there must be something I’m missing. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure this out, but it just doesn’t make sense,” Marinette said in frustration. “If Lila weren’t the first person to die, I would have thought she was the one behind it all.”

“This seems a bit above Lila’s paygrade,” Adrien said mildly. “Although she would have loved the covering up part where she got to lie all the time.”

Marinette caught his eye and couldn’t help it. A snort burst out. She clapped her hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Adrien was laughing and then she was laughing too.

And then there was a scream.

“I’m getting really tired of this,” Marinette muttered, rushing for the door. Adrien got it open first and she and Adrien sprinted out. They didn’t need to go far.

Mylène was laying in the hallway, a knife in her back. Nino was just beyond her, a knife sticking out of his stomach.

“Oh shit,” Adrien said lowly. “Nino…”

Marinette swallowed hard. Nino must have died first. That was Mylène they’d heard screaming, she realized. Just like Rose and Juleka, Nino must have died first and then Mylène had tried to run…

“What happened?” Alya called.

“Alya?” Marinette said, spinning around. “Where are you?”

“I’m in my room and I’m not coming out. What happened?” Alya said again.

Adrien and Marinette looked at each other, the same realization crossing their minds. They’d been together when Mylène and Nino died. Alya was the only person who had been alone. The timeline for her to kill Nino and Mylène would have been super tight, but was it possible?

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should force her way into Alya’s room, go to [**Chapter 26**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681607).  
If you think Marinette should try to trick her way into Alya’s room, go to [**Chapter 27**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681679).  
If you think Marinette should sit down on the floor and cry, go to [**Chapter 28**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681748).


	26. Chapter 26

“Alya, open the door!” Marinette demanded, banging on the door.

“I said no!” Alya snapped from the other side. “I’m not coming out. No way!”

“You have to come out!” Marinette said.

“Marinette, maybe we should just leave it,” Adrien said, looking worried.

Marinette shook her head. “No, I’ve had enough of this. Alya, come out here right now or I’m going to force my way in!”

“I’d like to see you try,” Alya retorted, and that was enough to send Marinette over the edge. She banged on the door one last time, then clenched her hands into fists. If Alya wouldn’t come out, then Marinette was going to force her way in.

“Marinette, no,” Adrien said, but weakly. He wouldn’t intervene, Marinette knew.

She backed up and then ran at the door, intending to hit it with her shoulder.

But she slipped in some of the blood.

Adrien shouted her name as her head impacted the door at full speed, but it was too late.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 25**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681358) and try again._


	27. Chapter 27

“Alya, please come out,” Marinette begged.

“No way,” Alya said, sounding slightly hysterical. “There’s a killer out there and I’m not going to let myself be a victim. I’m staying in here.”

“But we have to figure this out,” Marinette said, jiggling the doorknob. She knew from watching Ella and Etta that there was a way to tilt Alya’s doorknob just right to make the lock disengage. It had infuriated Alya a ton of times in the past because she’d never been able to figure out a way to make the twins stop.

“We don’t have to do anything but stay locked up,” Alya snapped. “I mean it! Don’t come in here!”

“Marinette,” Adrien said from somewhere behind her. Marinette ignored him, a triumphant smile crossing her face as she heard the lock click.

She shoved the door open.

“Don’t come in!” Alya shrieked.

“Alya, it’s me!” Marinette started to say.

But a panicking Alya was already swinging a bat right at Marinette’s head.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to[ **chapter 25**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681358) and try again._


	28. Chapter 28

Marinette sank slowly to the floor, feeling numb to her core. Hot tears rose to her eyes, though she tried not to let them fall.

So many of her friends were dead, and right now the only viable suspect was Alya.

Adrien knelt down too and wrapped his arms around her. At one time, such a gentle touch from him would’ve been enough to send Marinette into the sky out of sheer excitement. But right now, she just felt hollow. He was warm, but she was too overwhelmed to properly appreciate the situation.

“What’s going on?” Alya shouted.

“Nino and Mylène are dead,” Adrien said, just loud enough for Alya to hear.

There was a terrible moaning sound from the other side of the door, followed by silence.

Would Alya react that way if she’d done it? Or was that her way of covering things up?

“Do you think we’re really alone?” Marinette whispered. “Do you think someone else could have done this?”

Adrien sighed, resting his temple against hers. “I-I don’t know. I told you that no one could have slipped past me on the balcony, but – the more I think about it, the more I second guess myself. Maybe someone did slip past me.”

“I was so sure that no one came in the main door while Lila was being killed, but now I’m second guessing myself too,” Marinette admitted. Maybe she’d been wrong? It wasn’t like she had been super focused on the door at the time. She’d been upset that Lila was teasing her, and frustrated that Adrien was letting her do it, and preoccupied by Alya’s wardrobe issues –

“Let’s check and see if it’s locked. Then we’ll know,” Adrien said, getting up. He took her hand to pull her up. Marinette didn’t know why, but the moment felt strangely familiar.

They checked the front door together, and it was indeed locked. It was possible that the door had been unlocked and a stranger had entered and then locked the door behind them, but Marinette thought that was pretty unlikely.

Still…

“Let’s search the place,” she said, her voice sounding much calmer than she felt. “Every nook and cranny, let’s look. We’ll know for sure if someone is here.”

“Alright,” Adrien said without hesitation, and despite everything she loved him a tiny bit more for that trust.

Marinette took the living room while Adrien started in the kitchen. Marinette examined the closet, even going so far as to knock at the walls to see if they were fake or something like that. Of course, they weren’t. She went over every inch of the living room, looking behind the furniture and even under the furniture.

“Did you find anything?” she called out to Adrien.

“Nope,” Adrien said, appearing at the doorway. “There’s not many places to hide in the kitchen, though.”

“Let’s do the bathroom,” Marinette said. Adrien agreed to stand in the hallway while Marinette quickly inspected the bathroom, looking behind the shower curtain and inside all the cupboards.

The last place they could look was Alya’s parent’s bedroom. Marinette doubted anyone could be hiding in there. She and Adrien had been in there when Nino and Mylène died. So, the killer would have had to go into the living room, out on the balcony, and then jumped to the balcony connecting to Alya’s parent’s bedroom.

But she wanted to be thorough. Again, Adrien remained in the hallway while Marinette looked through the bedroom. She tore through the closets, looked under the bed, checked all the drawers, and did a similar inspection of their attached bathroom.

Nothing.

“Do you think there’s someone else in Alya’s room?” Adrien whispered when Marinette rejoined him.

“No,” Marinette said. She didn’t know why she felt that way, but she did.

“Then…” Adrien looked at Alya’s door and then back at Marinette.

Neither of them said anything for a moment.

“Do you really think whoever did this had a partner?” he asked finally.

“I don’t know,” Marinette said. Her head ached from the effort of trying to remember where everyone had been all evening. She couldn’t even remember who had been where when Lila died.

But one thing had become crystal clear.

She hadn’t done this.

Adrien hadn’t done this.

It had to be Alya.

Her best friend was a murderer.

Marinette’s chin quivered. She inhaled deeply, held it, and only exhaled when the urge to cry again had dissipated. Adrien grabbed her hand and held it tightly. He seemed to be waiting for her to decide what they would do next.

 _What should Marinette do next?_  
If you think Marinette should accuse Alya of being the killer, go to [**Chapter 29**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681904).  
If you think Marinette should try to talk her way into Alya’s room, go to [**Chapter 30**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66682078).  
If you think Marinette should take Adrien and make a run for it, go to [**Chapter 31**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66682150).


	29. Chapter 29

“It’s Alya,” Marinette said at last, the words feeling impossibly heavy. “She’s the one behind this. She gathered us all here tonight to kill us.”

“I can’t believe it,” Adrien said.

“It’s the only thing that makes sense. It has to be Alya,” Marinette said.

She jumped when Alya’s door burst open. Alya stood there, eyes wild and rimmed with tears. It was like something in her had snapped.

“Stop saying that!” Alya screamed, throwing herself at Marinette.

“Alya!” Marinette cried as Alya impacted her hard enough to leave Marinette breathless. She heard Adrien yelling too.

“Stop! Stop! Stop!” Alya shouted repeatedly, right in Marinette’s face. She clawed at Marinette’s shoulders. It was like she’d lost total control.

Adrien tried to grab Alya around the waist, but she slammed an elbow into Adrien’s face, and he staggered back.

Marinette stumbled backwards.

Alya’s weight drove her even further back, up against the railing of the balcony –

And over.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette and Alya are dead! Return to[ **chapter 28**](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681748) and try again._


	30. Chapter 30

“Alya, open your door,” Marinette said, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. 

“Go away,” Alya said. It sounded like she was crying. Under any other circumstances, Marinette would’ve had a lot of sympathy for her. As it was, Marinette was tired and wrung out. She felt a sense of calm settle over her. They had to end this now, before it went any further.

“I’m not leaving. It’s just me and Adrien. We just want to talk to you, that’s all. So open the door,” Marinette replied. She set her free hand, the one that Adrien wasn’t holding, on the door, as though she could get Alya to open the door through sheer force of will.

“I said – no! No!” Alya let out a shriek that made Marinette flinch.

“Alya?” Marinette cried.

“What’s going on? She’s not hurting herself, is she?” Adrien gasped. “Marinette, we have to get in there!”

“There’s a way to open Alya’s door if you jiggle the knob just right,” Marinette said, grabbing the knob and rattling it frantically. “Ella and Etta do it all the time.”

Her heart raced as she worked at the doorknob. Alya’s screams rang in her ears.

Then, just as the lock unclicked, Alya’s screams stopped.

She and Adrien looked at each other.

Suddenly, Marinette was no longer sure she wanted to get into Alya’s room.

“Do it,” Adrien said finally. “We need to know.”

Marinette’s fingers trembled as she pushed the door open. Alya’s body was the first thing she saw. Unlike everyone else, Alya had been stabbed three or four times. She was definitely dead.

And there, floating over Alya’s body and holding a bloody knife… was Tikki.

“Tikki?” Marinette said, shocked.

“Tikki?!” Adrien said at the same time, stunned.

Someone started to cackle. Marinette watched in a daze as Plagg burst out of Adrien’s pocket.

“I was wondering when you would snap, Sugarcube!” he said gleefully.

“Shut up, Plagg!” Tikki snarled, brandishing the knife threateningly. “I can’t take all of this teenage angst anymore. It’s driving me insane.”

Marinette stared at her kwami with an open mouth, speechless.

Adrien, however, pointed at Plagg. “Wait. Did you – did you _know_ that it was Tikki from the beginning?!”

“Of course I knew,” Plagg said scornfully, rolling his eyes at Adrien. “How else do you think a killer could get around this tiny apartment without being seen?”

“I – that’s –” Adrien’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly. 

“Tikki… _why_?” Marinette said helplessly.

“I’m sorry, Marinette, but I meant what I said. All of this endless teenage angst is _too much_ ,” Tikki said passionately, waving the knife around. It was bigger than she was. Drops of blood splattered against the far wall. “Now you don’t need to worry about Lila or anyone else anymore. You and Adrien can be happy together with no obstacles.”

“Okay… I-I mean… I get Lila, but why everyone else?” Marinette said, not looking at Adrien.

“They believed Lila,” Tikki said simply. She directed a dark glower at Alya. “They deserved what they got.”

Marinette blinked, thoroughly flummoxed, and dazedly wondered if the Miraculous Cure covered acts of kwami as well as akumas.

She remembered thinking that the killer must have been someone who knew their way around, because they’d been able to navigate Alya’s living room easily even in the dark. Of course, that had been no problem for Tikki: she could just fly over all the things that would be obstacles for a normal human being.

And it also explained the impossibly tight timelines. Tikki could phase through walls. She could kill someone and then be back in Marinette’s purse before anyone could blink. Not during this whole thing had Marinette thought to wonder where her kwami was.

“You… I can’t believe this.” Adrien covered his face with his hands, shaking his head. Then he dropped his hands and looked at Marinette. “What the fuck do we do now, Ladybug?”

“Um…” Marinette said. She looked at Plagg, who was back to cackling like a little lunatic, and then to Tikki, who was still holding that stupid knife, before looking back at Adrien.

He was definitely Chat Noir. She had never noticed before, but Adrien had the same plaintive, ‘please save the day’ look that Chat did.

Unfortunately for him, she was fresh out of day saving ideas.

So she shrugged.

“Great,” Adrien muttered. “This is just great. We need to either invent one hell of a killer so that people won’t pin this on us, or we need to flee Paris and never come back.”

Marinette thought about that for a moment before she took another look at their kwamis.

“Stupid… teenage… angst…” Tikki was mumbling. Plagg just laughed louder every time Tikki said those words.

“Honestly,” Marinette said, “at this point, I’m leaning towards fleeing Paris.”

Adrien just sighed. “I would be on board with that.”

_Congratulations, you reached the ending! Happy Halloween!_


	31. Chapter 31

“Let’s just go,” Marinette said.

Adrien looked at her. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. I don’t want to see Alya. I don’t want to see anyone.” Marinette started walking towards the door, pulling him along. But Adrien came willingly enough, without argument. As they collected their things, the lights came back on.

“Do you still want to go?” Adrien asked, halfway through putting his jacket on.

Marinette nodded, pulling her jacket on and unlocking the door. She hurried down the stairs with Adrien on her heels.

“Marinette, slow down,” Adrien called out. He paused to pull on his sneakers.

But Marinette couldn’t. She picked up the pace, desperately needing to _get out_ , and tried to pull on her boots while running down the steps.

Of course, she couldn’t.

She tripped.

Adrien screamed her name as she fell.

_Sorry, wrong decision and now Marinette is dead! Return to **[chapter 28](https://archiveofourown.org/works/27290554/chapters/66681748)** and try again._

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://tsuki-chibi.tumblr.com/)


End file.
